The Sketchbook
by xxTumblerxx
Summary: Caroline is a little girl with a unique ability. She is unaware that everything she draws on her sketchpad becomes reality.


She was an artist, for as long as she could remember. She remembered when she was younger, and her mom used to take her to the park. She wouldn't build sand castles, or play on the swings, or even roll down the big hills. She would sit down under the big Oak tree and sketch everything in sight. Whether it was the rambunctious kids screaming and playing tag, or the little duck pond in the forest.

The ducks were very fascinating to her, Caroline, as she would sit for hours under the shade of the pine trees. Filling her lungs with their scent, and listening to the birds chirp overhead. She would take bread to the ducks and drop some on the dirt path, and watch them waddle over, to hungrily devour the crumbs. She enjoyed the baby ducklings the most, with their fluffy feathers, and tiny orange beaks. She would laugh for hours at the newborns trying to stand up, but falling over each time.

Some days Caroline would skip merrily down the dusty trail and happily find wild flowers. Honeysuckles were her favorite. She would sip contently from them, and if she was lucky, she could even find a bee collecting pollen from a nearby flower, and sketch him.

This particular day, as she was walking, she ran into a chipmunk. She saw a sleek coat, rich and golden brown. Caroline would sketch his habits, as he would wrinkle his

nose, and sprint from one tree to the next gathering nuts. She followed him wherever he went. Soon, she had a masterpiece, which she could not wait to show her brother, Bryan.

Bryan and Caroline were orphans, their parents died in a boating accident when they went to take pictures of the Amazon. Her parents were very well known photographers. Caroline was four years old when they're tragic death befell her and her brother, who was eight at the time. Now, three years later, they went to live with their aunt.

Aunt Genevieve was a warm, kind-hearted person who cared for them deeply. She was always working and was rarely home. Aunt Genevieve hired a nanny to take after them while she was away. Nanny Ida was her name. Nanny Ida had a short fuse, and allowed little room for misbehaving. She disciplined the children harshly, taking away Caroline's sketch books, and Bryan's science books. The children always obeyed Nanny Ida, and never misbehaved.

"Caroline!" Nanny Ida called, "time to go home!"

Caroline sighed as she packed up her markers into her hot pink Care Bears backpack. She dusted off her stockings, tightened her velcro shoes, and straightened her bows. Nanny Ida was strict about always being clean, sharp, and orderly. Caroline trudged back to the playground, kicking rocks the whole way there.

"It's time to go, Caroline, I still have to pick up some groceries for dinner tonight."

"Yes, Nanny Ida…I would very much like to show you my drawings."

"That would be fine, Caroline, but not right now, I don't have time," Nanny Ida said sternly.

"You never have time for me." Caroline muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me, Missy, what did you say?" perhaps I should take away your sketch book for a time and teach you a lesson, hmm?" Nanny Ida fumed, as her face got red.

"No, Nanny! Please don't take away my sketchbook! Please!" Caroline pleaded.

"You know I do not like pleading, Caroline! That will be three days without your sketch book, so you can think about what you have done," Nanny Ida said as her nostrils flared with rage.

Tears began to run out of Caroline's forest green eyes like running waterfalls. She knew she was not allowed to cry, so she sniffled and tried to stop, in fear of her book being taken away longer. The back of her throat stung as she tried to choke back her tears.

"Let's go, Caroline!" hissed Nanny Ida as she jerked Caroline's hand, sketchbook under her am. Caroline cried out in pain, as she dragged her feet the whole way to the supermarket.

When they got home, Caroline went straight to her room, and grabbed her extra sketchbook that was hidden under her purple sparkly comforter. She kicked off her shoes, grabbed a pencil, and hastily began to draw. She drew a picture of a castle, with many rooms and long staircases, with horses whinnying, and swords being unsheathed from princes coming to save her. There was a dragon that resembled Nanny Ida, with her gray hair pulled back tightly in a bun. Just above her neck her glasses were on the top of her nose, and her cold-stone gray eyes were watching her. Caroline drew the chipmunk, and ducks forming a small army, and they began to slay the dragon.

The dragon took a blow to her heart, and snarled with disappointed rage. She fell, dead, with a loud thud. Caroline's mind wandered away from her drawing and back to the forest, feeding the ducks, and wished she was there. Her thoughts were interrupted as Nanny Ida called up the stairs, "Caroline! Time for dinner, get washed up and look presentable."

Caroline sighed, hid her sketchbook from existence, and straightened her braids and ribbons. She hopped down the stairs two at a time, wondering what was for dinner. A putrid smell filled her lungs; it was the smell of cauliflower and Chicken De Escargot. She slowly sulked into the kitchen and plopped into her chair. She rested her head on the table, and played wither her bangs. She protruded out her bottom lip, and blew as her bangs flew up from her head, and gently floated back down. She made a game of this, until Nanny Ida turned around.

Nanny brought the food over, and breathed in the aroma with a satisfied smile on her face. "Mmm, smells good, doesn't it?" Nanny asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Caroline lied.

"Now, where is Bryan? He is late and he will get two spankings for being late," Nanny exclaimed.

Caroline shuddered, whenever Bryan got into trouble, and would get spankings, Nanny would make her watch. Caroline would cry out in horror, begging her to stop, but Nanny would grab Caroline by the shirt and spank her next. Just then, they both heard the door open with a creak, and close, and heard the deadbolt lock into place.

"Bryan!" Caroline called. Bryan walked into the kitchen, peeling off his coat and gloves. "Bryan! It's 80 degrees outside, why in the world are you wearing a jacket and gloves?" Nanny wondered aloud.

Bryan sneezed, wiped his nose on his shirtsleeve, and tried to answer Nanny. "I think I'm coming down with something…AH-CHOU!" Bryan sneezed again.

"Well, go on upstairs and I'll be up to take your temperature," Nanny sighed. "Caroline, you go on upstairs too, and help him, I'll put the food in the oven and try to keep it warm."

Caroline skipped upstairs, she was excited she could continue her drawings. Caroline reached under her comforter and grabbed her sketchbook. She started to draw a rainbow, when she heard someone harshly rap on the door.

"Oh, come in!" Caroline called.

"I can't! What did you do to the door, Caroline?" Nanny called from the hallway.

Caroline got up and opened the door, "I did nothing, I swear!"

"Caroline, I don't understand why you are pulling these stunts, is it a cry for attention?" Nanny hissed.

"No, Nanny, I don't know what happened and I'm very sorry." Caroline apologized.

"Get downstairs, Caroline. I don't even want to look at you right now."

Caroline grabbed her sketchbook and hid it under her dress before Nanny Ida noticed.

Caroline sat at the mahogany kitchen table, and started sketching. She was lost in her own little world and she started drawing smoke. It was wisping around everything in sight. It was a dark, gray, mysterious smoke. She felt as if she was in the drawing, soon

she was gasping for air and coughing violently. She heard an alarm blazing, shattering her thoughts. Caroline looked up; the whole kitchen was engulfed in flames by now. She cried out in disbelief, grabbed her sketchbook and called up the stairs for Nanny and Bryan, there was no answer. Just then, she felt a strong hand grab on to her shoulder and whip her around. She was pulled out of the smoke that was entering her lungs.

Before she could see who saved her, she blacked out…


End file.
